Cyber Physical Systems (CPS)
Source: PIB
GS III: Science and Technology- Developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Achievements of Indians in science & technology; Awareness in the fields of IT, computers, robotics, etc.
Overview
- Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) combine the physical and digital worlds, enabling real-time sensing, analysis and intelligent responses across various applications.
- NM-ICPS is strengthening India’s indigenous CPS ecosystem by supporting research, innovation, skill development, start-ups and technology commercialisation.
- BharatGen adds a sovereign, multilingual AI layer to CPS, with applications across areas such as healthcare, agriculture and governance.
- CPS can improve smart infrastructure, public services, productivity and safety, supporting India’s goal of a technology-driven and self-reliant Viksit Bharat.
Why in the News?
The PIB highlighted India’s efforts to build an indigenous Cyber Physical Systems ecosystem through the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).
News in Brief
- The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), was approved in 2018 with an outlay of ₹3,660 crore for nine years.
- Under NM-ICPS, 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) have been established, while four high-performing TIHs were supported as Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRPs) in 2025 to accelerate technology translation and commercialisation.
- As of August 2026, the Mission has enabled 1,146 technologies, 1,329 technology products, 5,824 fellowships and 1,136 start-ups/spin-offs, while training more than 2.46 lakh professionals and establishing 200 international collaborations.
What is Cyber Physical Systems (CPS)?
- Cyber Physical Systems represents the convergence of the physical and digital worlds, enabling machines to sense, analyze and respond intelligently.
- CPS connects physical systems with sensors, software, computing technologies and communication networks.
- It enables real-time monitoring, data processing and automated responses to changing conditions.
- Examples: driverless cars, smart factories, medical monitoring devices, smart buildings, cleaning robots and fitness trackers.
- At its core, CPS integrates computation, communication and physical processes to create intelligent, connected and responsive systems.
Government of India’s CPS Initiatives
- The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is implementing the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) to strengthen India’s indigenous capabilities in CPS.
- The Union Cabinet approved NM-ICPS in 2018 with an outlay of ₹3,660 crore for nine years.
- It provides a national framework for CPS research, innovation and applications across priority sectors.
- The Mission brings together academia, industry, government and international organisations, covering the innovation cycle from R&D and translational research to product development and start-up incubation.
- NM-ICPS focuses on developing national-priority technologies, core competencies and specialised talent, while establishing interdisciplinary Centres of Excellence for advanced research, technology development and policy inputs.
- Overall, the Mission aims to build indigenous CPS solutions for critical national challenges and strengthen India’s technology-driven, research and innovation ecosystem.
From Technology Development to Technology Translation
- The NM-ICPS is increasingly focusing on moving technologies from research to deployment and commercialization.
- In 2025, four high-performing Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) were supported as Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRPs),
- IIT Kanpur – Cybersecurity
- IISc Bengaluru – Robotics and AI Systems
- IIT (ISM) Dhanbad – Mining Technologies
- IIT Indore – Digital Healthcare
- The TTRPs aim to accelerate technology translation and commercialisation.
Building Technology, Talent and Enterprise
- The Mission has enabled several technologies and supported intellectual property creation, licensing and technology products across sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, mining, cybersecurity, communication and positioning.
- Human resource development and skill enhancement remain key pillars of this ecosystem.
- The CHANAKYA (Comprehensive and Holistic Advancement of National Knowledge Yield and Analytics) Fellowship Programme supports undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD and postdoctoral researchers.
- It funds projects addressing real-world CPS challenges through specialised Technology Innovation Hubs.
- The Mission promotes entrepreneurship and commercialisation by incubating start-ups and spin-offs based on research-driven innovations, thereby generating employment opportunities.
- International collaborations have strengthened India’s CPS capabilities and expanded cooperation in this emerging technology domain.
- The growing network of TIHs and TTRPs is strengthening India’s CPS ecosystem across research, skills, entrepreneurship and industry.
- NM-ICPS is accelerating the journey from innovation to deployment and building indigenous solutions for national priorities.
BharatGen and CPS
- As Cyber Physical Systems become more advanced, AI is playing an important role in connecting machines, people and physical environments.
- BharatGen, supported under NM-ICPS, is developing sovereign AI solutions suited to Indian languages and needs.
- BharatGen is led by IIT Bombay along with a group of academic institutions and works on text, speech and vision-language technologies.
- Its Param-2 foundation model supports all 22 Scheduled Indian languages.
- Shrutam provides speech-to-text and Sooktam provides text-to-speech capabilities in Indian languages, while Patram, under the DocBodh framework, helps users access complex documents in multiple languages.
- It has also developed sector-specific models such as Ayur Param for Ayurveda, Agri Param for agriculture and Legal Param for the legal sector.
Applications of CPS
| Sector | Application |
|---|---|
| Healthcare | CPS helps in continuous patient monitoring, early disease detection and virtual testing of treatments. CharakDT at IIT Indore uses a digital twin to study the lungs, eyes and heart. |
| Agriculture | The Agri-IoT Farm Management System at IIT Bombay monitors soil, weather and micro-climate conditions, helping farmers use water and fertilisers more efficiently. |
| Mining | Drones, robotics and remote monitoring improve safety in mines. The TEXMiN hub at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad has developed drones for real-time monitoring of mining areas. |
| Communication | The indigenous 5G-Advanced ORAN Massive MIMO Radio Unit (32TR RU) developed at IIIT Bengaluru can provide reliable and affordable connectivity, including in remote areas. |
| Cybersecurity | CPS helps protect digitally connected critical infrastructure. IIT Kanpur’s IT-OT Security Operations Centre monitors IT and operational technology systems. |
| Mobility & Robotics | CPS supports autonomous vehicles and drones. TiHAN Foundation at IIT Hyderabad tests autonomous vehicles, while iRASTE helps identify accident-prone locations and gives real-time alerts to drivers. |
Conclusion
Cyber Physical Systems can play an important role in building smarter infrastructure and better public services.Through NM-ICPS, India is developing indigenous technologies across healthcare, agriculture, mining, communication, cybersecurity and mobility.
Going forward, stronger academia–industry partnerships, skilled talent, start-ups and international collaborations can help expand India’s capabilities in emerging technologies. Wider adoption of indigenous CPS can improve services, create economic opportunities and strengthen technology-driven and self-reliant Viksit Bharat.
UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question
Consider the following statements regarding Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and NM-ICPS:
- Cyber-Physical Systems integrate computation, communication and physical processes.
- The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems is implemented by the Department of Science and Technology.
- BharatGen is being developed under NM-ICPS to provide sovereign AI capabilities suited to Indian languages and contexts.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Mains Practice Question
Q. Discuss the potential of Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) in transforming key sectors of the Indian economy. Also examine the role of NM-ICPS in promoting indigenous technological capabilities. (250 words)
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